The Vampire Diaries: High School never looked so ‘dead’

The new series that is reminiscent of Dawson’s Creek – with a bloody twist.

Young Adult Fiction finds itself in television once more with The Vampire Diaries. Based on the novel of the same name by L.J. Smith, the premise is pretty straightforward: high school chick falls for a vampire dude whose family dates back to 1864, resulting to a lot of unresolved conflicts that continue to be, well, unresolved. Just one of the few disadvantages of immortality. The result: a drama gripping enough for older viewers, and wholesome enough for younger ones.

The series follows the life of small town high school student Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) of Mystic Falls, Virginia who meets vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). Stefan wins Elena’s affection and eventually reveals his true form. Damon, on the other hand, disrupts this union by plotting his ‘diabolical’ plan, and causing mysterious ‘animal attacks’ throughout town.

Watching the first few episodes might leave one a bit underwhelmed, as they are not that strong as the succeeding ones. The good thing about Diaries is that it gets better with every episode so it builds up audience viewership over time, and not overnight. It might be for this reason that studio execs confirmed its second season, and its first season finale on May 13, 2010.

Just like the episodes, the characters at first appears to be shady, even laughable. But as the story gets better, the characters become authentic and relatable. It’s almost like Dawson’s Creek’s self-absorbed teen drama but with a bit of violent blood-sucking and kicking ass as well as the same amount of sexual undertones. Humor is used sparingly, with great effect and sometimes with awkward timing – which makes it even more effective – and makes the show memorable.

Times have changed. Gone are the days when a TV heroine slays vampires. These days, she dates them.